The present invention is directed to a device for reading meters, such as gas meters, electric meters, and the like, at a distance remote from the actual physical position of the meter. Gas meters and electric meters are similar in that each has a plurality of circular dials for recording the usage of gas or electricity, respectively. Each dial represents a power of ten, so that in a gas meter, where there are four circular dials, the first dial indicates hundreds of cubic feet, the second dial indicates thousands of cubic feet, the third dial indicates tens of thousands of cubic feet, and the fourth dial indicates hundreds of thousands of cubic feet of gas used. Thus, for each complete revolution of the first dial, one thousand cubit feet of gas was consumed; for one complete revolution of the second dial, ten thousand cubic feet of gas was consumed; for one complete revolution of the third dial, one-hundred thousand cubic feet of gas was consumed; and for the fourth dial, one complete revolution thereof indicates one million cubic feet of gas consumed. For an electric meter, the principal is the same as above, only that the units measured are different.
Gas meters are usually placed in the basement of a house, apartment house, office building, and the like, and are usually not readily and easily accessible to a meter reader, which meter reader typically must make a special trip to the house, or the like, gain entrance to the basement or cellar, and then visually read each of the dials of the meter, and write such reading down for subsequent submittal to headquarters for eventual billing to the customer. This procedure of obtaining the correct meter-reading is usually not a smooth and simple task, since there are many stumbling blocks along the way to the proper and accurate carrying out of the reading. For example, a very common problem is the inability of the meter-reader to gain access to the basement to see the dials, since usually the basement is locked, and someone must be home in order to let him gain access to the basement. Further, the reader must know just where in the basement the meters are, for, if he does not know, he must waste time looking for them. Also, he must take the time to look at each and every dial of each and every meter, which is not a simple and easy task, since he must determine the value to which the pointer of each dial is pointing. There is currently available, and used, a remote-reading capability by some gas companies, which is accomplished by installing at the time of the first erection of a home or building, a special meter that allows for the reading thereof outside of the building proper, usually on an outside wall of the building. This special meter has a connection that outputs the reading of each dial to a device on the outside of the building, which may be read by a meter reader on the outside of the building. However, this device can only be used at first erection of the building, when it is first installed, or by replacing all of the old meters with these new ones, which is a costly, time-consuming, and, usually prohibitive project. Thus, the vast majority of all meters in place today are still the conventional dial-meters which require the on-site reading thereof in the basement of the home or house in which it is provided.
Since it is quite common for the meter-reader to be unable to gain access to the basement for reading the meter or meters, it is common practice for the gas company or electric company to estimate the current month's consumption by basing it upon past consumption. This estimate can be quite off, and can cost the consumer more each month, until such time as the reader can finally gain access to the basement and read the meter or meters, which may then allow for correction of the previous month's or months' estimated consumption. It is common, however, for a string of several months' readings to be estimated.